Theft-preventing device



J. F. WHITE THEFT PREVENTING DEVICE July 24, 1928.

f iled Jan. 22, 1925 Mew: Jo/m 1 Patented July 24, 1928. I

UNITED STATES I I 1,678,174 PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN F. WHI'I'E, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOB T0 WHITE PRODUCTS COMPANY, 01' CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION 01' ILLINOIS.

THEFT-PREVENTING DEVICE;

Application filed Jannaiy 22, 1925. Serial 110. 3,895.

This invention. relates to securing devices for retaining closures, attachments, and the like against unauthorized operation or removals It-may be applied and utilized in a great "variety of situations and particularly in instances wherein it may be desired to secure an object in a particular location or position.

The general object of the invention is the provision of apparatus of the sort described which is particularly adapted to prevent its disablement by attempts to force 1t, and which will also effectively resist attacks with formidable tools.

An important object of the invention .1s the provision of an apparatus of simple construction which is particularly qualifiedito retain its operativeness under exposure to weather. I

Another object is theprovlsion of a construction having the part adapted to theselected connection 'or mounting interchangeably assembled, so" that a standard variety of applications simply by incorporation in it of the proper connecting element.

A further object is the provision of an apparatus which may be embodied in a form which is compact, of neatdesign and pleasing contour.

Other and further objects of the invention ,will be pointed out hereinafter, indicated in the appending claims, or'obvious to one skilled in the art upon an understanding of the present disclosure.

For the purpose of this application I have elected to show and descri e herein certain embodiments of the invention which are designed for particular applications or urposes. It is understood, however, that t ese are presented for the purpose of illustration only, and hence are not to be construed in any fashion such as to limit either the use or application of the invention or the natureor form'of its embodiment, short of its true and most comprehensive. scope as defined in the appended claims.

In, the drawing forming a part of this specification,

Fig. 1 is a part longitudinal sectional view of a securing device adapted for use in holding an object on mounting, such as for retaining a movable clamping member in an article on post or mount- Fig. 2 is another sectional view of the same construction taken on substantially line 2 2, of Fig. i Y

' Fig. 3 is apart sectional view of another embodimentpofl the invention as it may be utilized to secure an article on mounting or. to operate a latch or closure retaining means; and

Fig. 4 is a part and elevation of such embodiment.

As a means of convenient illustration of the use and certain advantages of the presentinvention, I will refer to a familiar application for the retainin of spare automobile tires or spare whee s on their racks or mountings. In man such racks the tire or the rim is retained y a clamping member which is drawn up by a nutor cap screw into engagement with the retained article, and the nut or cap screw ostensibly secured against removal by means of a padlock or similar expedient. In certain arrangements (iii for retaining spare wheels, a post is do fashions offers litt e more than merelyapparent security. Padlocks present man op- {portunities for successful .attack an the llgld lockingof a securing member to a mounting presents a situation in which the device is readily susceptible to disablement by efforts to detach it, which either'shear ofi the securing lock bolt, or distort the parts to a degree rendering them inoperative. The

present invention successfull avoids both of these contingencies by provi ing a completely housed and protected lock1n ment and preventing the app ication oi arrangeefiective force in such fashion as to deform.

or incapacitate the connections upon'whichthe theft p1 eventing effectiveness of the device depends. n

The nature of the invention will be most ber having a housing part 10 from which operating handles extend laterally. 'The' housing portlon 10 affords a cylindrical quickly understood by immediate reference bore or chamber open at one end, while one by a tool such as a hack saw, which may be operated in such a fashion as not to at- 'tract attention. To qualify the device 1 against such attacks, I provide in the upper portion of the housing a liner cap 11 w ich ,may be made of case hardened steel, and pressed into place, and line the bore of the andle'with a case hardened steel tube 12,

; also pressedinto place. The lower portion of'the housinglis similarl lined with a case hardened bus ing 14 w ich is remov'ably held in position b screw threads 14, so that the bushing may e screwed into and out of position by -means of a spanner. tion to affording protection, this bushing In addiretains the operated member 15 in the housing. This is herein illustrated as tapped so as to seat upon a screw threaded post. It

is rotatably. retained within the bushing by means of an enlarged end part 15f which overlaps the inner end-of the bushing and at its top contactsthe lower surface of the .cap member 11. The upper end of the operated member is grooved transversely so that the groovemay alignwith the bore of the tube 12 and, for purposes of convenience, it may have a plurality of such transverse grooves as shown. Within the tube 12 and extending across the bore of the hous ing 10' is a rotatable bolt 16 which is heldagainst withdrawal by means of a snap r1ngfl17. Its inner end 16 has cylindrical bearing engagement on the o crating memher, but an intermediate-portion is notched through an angular distance of-180.

out for half its diameter across the bore of the housing, to form a locking key 16 adapted for engagement in the transverse groove 15 of the, o erated member, when the bolt 16 is turne to one position, or to lie in a complementary groove in the cap member 11 when the bolt 16 is. rottfllt fid e position of the boltis controlled by a lockmg mechanism of the familiar cylinder and I ijtumbler type',-which is embodied in its outer tion of theliner tube 12. 'It will underend portion l6 so that the lock tumblers 18 may be projected by their springs into the grooves 12 which-are milled in the end porstoodthat the location of these grooves is such that the engagement of the lock tumblers therein secures the -bolt 16 either in the position wherein the key 16 is seated in the groove 15 of the operated-member as illustrated in-Fig. ,2, or in the opposite lliposition illustrated in Fig. 1, wherein the ber at the cadet its housing 1n overlapping key 16 is withheld from engagement with the operated member. in the customary fashion by the insertion of a plate key, which retracts the plungers 18 from the groove 12, so as to permit rotation of thebolt 16, the withdrawal of the key permitting theplungers to move out to their securing position under the influence of their springs.

Let it be assumed that as illustrated in Fig. 1 the portion C is a movable clamp which, when retained on a screw post D, will be effective to hold a..tire or rim or other object in a. desired location or position. The bolt 16 being in theposition illustrated backed off without the application of sub- The lock is operated in Fig. 2, where the operated member 15is stantial effort. The bolt 16 then being rotated to the position illustrated in Fig. 1, the operated member will be completely freed from the control of the operating member, so that the latter will idle thereon and be entirely inefi'ective to transmit any pressure to the operated member effective to back it off. To insure the free idling of the operating member, it is desirable that the length of the operated member be such that its lower end pro'ects slightly be ond the'lower end of the housing 10" an 5 the bushing 14. This freedom of the operating member prevents the, application of presioo sures to it such as to deform it or its con manner showman extremely strong interlocking of the operating and operated. members is secured which does not throw an stress upon the lock tumblers, and whic makes possible the utilization of much force in binding the operated member in securing position- I The embodiment illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 ma be employed in instances wherein it is not easible to set the interlocking bolt in a laterally extending handle orextension.

In this embodiment the operating member is I designated 10 and the operated member '15. The latter is rotatably secured in the housing portion of the former bymeans of the hardened bushing 14', as in the first form, In this embodiment the operated member 15 is illustrated as a screw which may be seated in a suitably tapped member constituting the" mounting. The interlocking bolt 16 ismounted in a hardened tube 12- in the material of the operating memrelationship with the head of the operated member, and it has a portion reduced to a semi-cylindrical form to provide the interlocking key 16" which is adapted in one position of the bolt to enga ein a seat in the operated member, an in its Opposite position to clear the operated member. The position of the bolt 16" is controlledby a tumbler lock cylinder, the tumble'rs of which I" are-adapted to engage in slots 12 provided in the fixed tube operating member, to hold the interlocking bolt in the selected position. When the interlocking key 16" is engaged in the seat 15f, the operated member will I?) be held for rotation with the operating member, and when the interlocking key. is not so engaged, the operating member will idle on the operated-member. The inner end of the interlocking bolt 16 is cylindrical to afford a supporting bearing at that end in either position of the. bolt. Adjacent to its outer end the bolt is provided with a lug 16 which is adapted to travel in a groove 12 formed in the operating member 2 10 around half the circumference of the bolt 16. This lug, as illustrated in Fi 4 is adapted to come up against the en the groove 12 when the lock tumblers are in alignment with the slots 12".v Thus "the lug forms a positioning stop for the intering of t a ;The inventionpossessesdistinct advantage in its extreme simplicity andthe strength;

locking bolt. It has a further function,

however, in that it supports any rotarypressures imparted to the interlocking bolt by the operated member incident to the seate device on .its mounting, and prevents such pressures being imparted to the lock tumblers. Instead of being arranged for detachment from its mounting, the op erated member may be formed'without the screw threads and extended, as indicated indotted lines, to form a permanent connec- .tion with a latch for securing'a door or the like, the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of the operating member to operate the same .being controlled by the position of the interlockingbolt 16.

- In either of the embodimentsillustrated,

the device may be adaptedto various :sizes' I of mountings by virtue of the interchange- '60 ability of the operated member. It will be observed that when the device is attached to its mounting access to the operated member is precluded.

afforded by construction of theintcrlocking parts of considerable size. All operating parts are closely 'hou'sedso' that access'tof I on ;-foreign matter to the working parts is efi'ectively prevented. A "featurewhich is of.

great practical importancel resides in; the fact 'that --it does not requireflany special fitting or adaptation of the mounting to which it may be applied.

1. A theft preventing device'comprising an operating member having a handle, an

operated member rotatably housed in the v operating member and arranged for connectlon to a support, an interlocking bolt completely housed in'the operating member and having interlockin engagement with the operated member tirough the top portion thereof, and a"'lock housed in the operating member for holding the interlocking bolt the operated member.

-7 selectively in and out of engagement with 2. A theft preventing device com risingan a crating member havinga andle where y it ma be rotated, an operated member rotat-ab y housed in the operating member and arranged for connection to a support,-said operated member having a .key seat extending across the face of the inner end thereof, an interlocking bolt rotatablyhoused in the operating member and having a key portion movable into and out of such seat, and lock mechanism housed in the'oper'ating member for holding said ke selectively in and out of engagement wit1 said seat.-

3. A theft preventing device comprising an operating member having a handle, an

operated member rotatably housed therein,

a bushin removably mounted in the operating member and encompassing a portion of the operated member to retain it in the former, an'interlocking bolt housed in the operating member at the inner end of the operated member, said bolt havin'g a. portion rotatable into and out of interlocking engagement with the operatedmember and lock mechanism housed in the operating member for controlling position of the bolt.

.4. A theft preventing device comprising an-operating member having a handle, an

operated member rotatably housed therein and having) an enlarged end portion, an interlocking ating member for engagement with said en-- larged end portion and having bearing sup- ;port on the. operating'member atopposite sides of said end portion, and locking mechanism housed by the operating member for securing the bolt selectively inand out ofenf' gagement with said end portion;

an operating by it may I rotatably housed in the operating member, a

ated member thereto for rotation.

6. A theft preventing device comprising .a rotatable operating member, an operated member rotata'bly housed therein, an interlocking bolt housed in the operating memolt rotatably housed in the operbeer and extending across the inner end of the operated member, and key operated locking mechanism housed in the operating member for holding said bolt selectively in and out of interlocking engagement with the operated member.

7. A theft preventing device comprising rotatable operating member, an operated member rotatably housed therein, an interlocking bolt housed in the operating member in overlapping relationship to the end of the operated member and adapted for interlocking engagement therewith, and key operated locking means housed in the oper ating member for holding said bolt' out of interlocking engagement with the operated member.

8. A theft preventing device' comprising a rotatable operating member, an operated member housed therein, a rotatable interlocking bolt housed in the operating member and having a lateral portion arranged ,for interlocking engagement across the inner end face of the operated member, and

key operated locking means housed by the operating member for controlling rotation of said bolt.

9. A theft preventing device comprising an operating member, an operated member having an enlarged end portion positioned within said operating member, a sleeve secured in. said operating member for retaining said operated member in place, the inner end face of said operated member being provided with a groove to receive a locking bolt, a locking bolt rotatably mounted in said operating member and locking meansoperating member for retaining said oper-' ated member in place, said operated member extending beyond the outer edge of said sleeve and said operating member, a'locking bolt housed in said operating member, and

locking means for causing the engagement of said bolt in the groove of said operated member.

11. A theft preventing device comprising an operating member, an operated member mounted in said operating member. the inner end face portion of said operated member being provided with a groove adapted to receive a locking bolt, :1 locking bolt positioned above the grooved end of said operated member and having a slot cut therein, said slot being so shaped as to permit relative rotation of the operated and operating members when said locking bolt is outof engagement with said groove, and locking means for rotatin said bolt so as to engage in said groove an rohibit relative rotation of the operated an operating members.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name. JOHN F. WHITE. 

